McReynolds Nabs Record Win In K&N Combo Race At Iowa

Posted on 7/31/2015

• Landmark Victory For BMR Driver

NEWTON, Iowa (July 31, 2015) – Brandon McReynolds won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway on Friday, sweeping the two special events this year on the 7/8-mile track and becoming the first driver with multiple wins in the prestigious event.

McReynolds’ victory in the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota marked Bill McAnally Racing’s 60th win overall in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. It was also BMR’s fourth win in eight races this year in the K&N West.

The 24-year-old driver from Mooresville, North Carolina, dominated the event in leading 127 of 150 laps – unlike the combo race in May where he charged into the lead late in the race to take the win. In 13 East-West combination races at Iowa Speedway, dating back to 2007, he became the first driver to score more than one win.

“Our NAPA Toyota was really good,” McReynolds said. “Our BMR guys did a really good job of keeping me focused. It was really hot out there today for everybody. So, it was easy to get kind of side-tracked.”

There were two key adjustments made during the race, McReynolds said. He changed the line he was running around the track and his crew chief, Ty Joiner, made a change to the car during the midway break.

“My spotter, told me the top was coming in,” McReynolds said. “When we moved up there, it really came in. Ty made some really good adjustments at halfway and we were off to the races.”

McReynolds, in his second full season competing in the series, talked about what the win means to him.

“It just feels really good to come back here to Victory Lane,” he said. “It’s not just about me. It’s about Bill McAnally, the guys, Toyota, NAPA, and my family.”

McReynolds won the Coors Light Pole Award in qualifying, his second of the season and fourth of his career. He dashed into the lead, but slipped to second on Lap 29. McReynolds gained the top spot back 23 circuits later. He went on to win by a margin of .696 seconds.

His BMR teammates, Chris Eggleston and Nick Drake, finished back in the field after encountering trouble during the race.

Drake qualified the No. 15 Carlyle Tools Toyota sixth and was running fifth in the early stages of the event. On a restart following the first caution, the 19-year-old from Mooresville got caught up in a pack of cars and ended up with a flat right front tire. The pit stop put him two laps down, from which he was never able to recover. He gained some spots, but a second flat late in the race left him to finish 25th.

Eggleston, who qualified 15th in the No. 99 NAPA AutoCare/ H2O Fire Protection Toyota, struggled with the handling of his car. It was good on short runs, but would fade with a tight condition. The Erie, Colorado driver moved up to 11th after the midway break, but slid back to finish 16th.

With his win, McReynolds moves to eighth in the championship standings in the K&N West. In addition to his two wins, he has five top-10 finishes in eight starts this season.

Eggleston is second in the K&N West standings, just two points out of first. He has two wins, five top-five and six top-10 finishes as he competes in his first full season in the series.

Drake is eighth in the championship standings in the K&N East, with one top-five and five top-10 finishes in nine starts this season.

Previous winners in the East-West combination race at Iowa include notable names such as Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Cole Custer.

The East-West combination race will be televised on NBCSN on Aug. 6.

The next event on the K&N East schedule will be a visit to the Watkins Glen (New York) International road course on Aug. 7. Up next for the K&N West will be an event at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington on Aug. 15.